The group of Hunan Normal University teachers and students who wrote the "paper" in the wild discovered a new species in the world - South ridge snake。
近日，Li Hui and Zhu Leqiang, two graduate students in wildlife conservation at the College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University，He published a paper in the internationally renowned zoological classification journal ZooKeys，This means that the southern ridge snake is officially a new species in the world，The global "family" of the genus has increased from 27 to 28 species。
It is understood that the Lophoderma belongs to the family of flash skin snakes, is a small nocturnal non-venomous snakes, currently including a total of 27 independent species, widely distributed in China, Vietnam and Japan。
How was this new species discovered？This should start from the geographical conditions of Hunan。
Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, Hunan has complex and diverse geographical conditions such as mountains, hills, basins, plains and lakes, and an ecological spatial pattern of "seven mountains, one water and two fields", which has laid the foundation for Hunan to become a "treasure house" of biodiversity。According to reports, from September 2021 to the end of 2023, in order to deeply explore the biological mysteries of this land, the Hunan Forestry Bureau carried out the first background survey of biodiversity resources in the province, and Professor Mo Xiaoyang of the College of Life Sciences of Hunan Normal University and his team participated in some of the investigations。
In recent years, Mo Xiaoyang has been leading students to shuttle between mountains and accept the test of the wild environment。The first sample of the South Ridge snake was found during a field survey。
On October 14, 2022, Li Hui and Zhu Leqiang, members of Mo Xiaoyang's team, were conducting a biodiversity resource survey in Tongdao County, Huaihua City, when suddenly a snake flattened by a car attracted their attention。"It is a little different from the spinal snakes we have seen before, with milky yellow rings on its neck。Li Hui, who is very passionate about wildlife, is acutely aware that "this snake is not simple".。The team took it back to the lab, and after morphological analysis and molecular testing, it was found to be different from any other known species in the genus。
Mo Xiaoyang told everyone: "With the remains of a snake alone, you can't make a conclusion, you must find a new living body.。Therefore, the search for the "yellow silk scarf" of the spine snake has become a major issue for the players。
"We spend more than 200 days a year in the wild," Zhu revealed。The southern ridge snake is small, about 40 centimeters long, the body is thinner than a pen, often hidden in the soil burrow, earthworms and other small invertebrates to eat, like a needle in a haystack。”
On the "snake search road", because the ridge snake generally appears at night, the team members are fully armed every seven or eight o 'clock in the evening, with the snake tongs, ready for first aid drugs, and the lighting of the hand lamp, searching along the edge of the stream and under the fallen leaves inch by inch。It was not until three or four o 'clock the next morning that the team came out of the deep mountain。
The days went on for nearly a year, and each time the team set out in high spirits only to return disappointed。From Tongdao County to Hunan Nanshan National Park, on the road of more than 100 kilometers, the team members searched all the way according to the habits of the ridge snake, but found nothing。"Does this new species really exist？The players began to doubt themselves。
Just when everyone was about to give up, the "yellow silk scarf" spinal snake finally appeared。It was September 1, 2023, the last night of the investigation, the day was raining, the investigation team's vehicle on the road burst a tire, the team was forced to spend the night in the field。"We couldn't let go of the snake and wanted to fight one last time。"Li Hui revealed。So, based on past experience, the team searched more than 20 kilometers along the possible location of the ridge snake。Suddenly, two live spinal snakes appeared on the road。
Speaking of his feelings at that time, Li Hui said: "It is the unexpected joy of 'getting all the effort', but more is the inevitable result of 'Baojianfeng' from sharpening.。”
After finding a live snake in the wild, the team dived into the laboratory to further study its morphology and molecular identification, and finally concluded that the "yellow scarf" spinal snake was a new species。The paper was officially published earlier this year, and the team named the new species South Ridge snake because it is from Nanshan National Park in Hunan Province。
According to Mo Xiaoyang, the type specimen of Nanshan snake is now stored in the Laboratory of Vertebrate Zoology of Hunan Normal University, and they will continue to conduct in-depth research on it, including its geographical distribution and biological characteristics。
Reviewing this "snake chase road", the team members are very difficult, but also feel very meaningful: "Although the wild environment is bad, living conditions are not too good, but we are from the heart like wild animals, happy.。”
Mo Xiaoyang also said: "To do wildlife protection research, on the one hand, we must have professional knowledge, on the other hand, we must have perseverance and the courage to explore the spirit, to go to a place less traveled, and write the 'paper' in the wild.。”
Correspondent Dong Fei Xiaoxiang morning reporter Li Nan intern Lei Zhijing
Original link:http://www.xxcb.cn/details/2q8biSYgB65faa9620c4e477e9042c113.html
